• Preview
• Recap
• Bleachers

Dynamo-Galaxy Preview

Jun 27, 2009 - 8:35 PM By NICOLINO DIBENEDETTO STATS Writer

Houston (8-2-4) at Los Angeles (2-3-9), 10:00 p.m. EDT

The league-best Houston Dynamo are on the brink of recording the longest unbeaten streak in franchise history. Playing their next four games on the road could be a significant test to that run.

The Dynamo open that stretch Sunday night when they visit the Los Angeles Galaxy.

Houston (8-2-4) leads the Western Conference with a league-high 28 points and is riding an 11-game unbeaten streak (8-0-3), matching the club record set from June 3-July 22, 2007.

The Dynamo have outscored opponents 17-3 during the current run, dating to a 1-0 loss at D.C. on April 14.

Brian Ching kept the streak going last Saturday, scoring with a minute left in a 1-all tie against visiting Real Salt Lake.

"It was definitely an off night," Dynamo midfielder Brad Davis said. "But you have to credit our guys. We scored the tying goal in the 89th minute. This team prides itself on working hard and not quitting until the whistle blows. I think we showed why we are such a good team. You know we are going to keep attacking and giving it our best until the whistle blows."

After facing the Galaxy for the first time this year, Houston visits Kansas City on Saturday before facing surprising Seattle a week later. The stretch of four road games in a row will end at Toronto on July 18.

The Dynamo, who have allowed a league-low nine goals, suffered their only two losses in road games but are 3-0-1 in their last four. They're 2-0-2 all-time at Los Angeles (2-3-9), including a 2-all tie on April 19, 2008, before beating the Galaxy 3-0 at home Oct. 18 to take the season series.

Ching, who has a team-high five goals in nine games, is expected to be in the lineup Sunday after being used as a second-half substitute against Salt Lake. The forward had missed three consecutive games with a hamstring injury suffered June 1 during practice with the U.S. national team. The injury ruled him out of two World Cup qualifiers and the FIFA Confederations Cup in South Africa.

Now healthy, Ching could miss as many as four games for the Dynamo after being named to the U.S. roster for the CONCACAF Gold Cup, which runs from July 3-26.

Los Angeles is having trouble dealing with the absence of Landon Donovan, who leads the team with six goals and four assists but isn't expected to be available until Saturday's contest against New England due to his U.S. team commitments.

In the Galaxy's first game without Donovan on June 6, they won 2-1 at Toronto. However, they followed that with a 2-0 loss to Salt Lake three days later before falling 2-1 at last-place San Jose last Saturday.

"You can't say, 'It would have been nice to have Landon Donovan today,'" Galaxy coach Bruce Arena said after the latest loss. "You can't use that as an excuse."

Jovan Kirovski played an entire game for the first time this season last Saturday and came up with his first goal of the year. He has one goal in six games against Houston.